Tarpaulins, also known as “tarps,” are primarily used as protective covers for piles of material or stacks of objects. However, they are also commonly used to haul materials across the ground. For example, after raking or blowing leaves, landscapers frequently use tarps, to collect the leaves and transport them for disposal. Tarps can also be used to transport other landscaping debris such as sticks and other plant matter, as well as soil, mulch and various other materials. A large tarp, e.g., a 3.5×2.5 meter rectangular tarp, can be used to haul a quantity of material equivalent to as many as five to ten wheelbarrow loads.
Tarps are manufactured from a wide variety of materials. A tarp used for hauling is typically composed of a nylon mesh having a coating of polyethylene or other suitable polymer. Typical landscaping tarps are described in the following U.S. Pat. No. 2,974,971, granted to H. H. Buck on Mar. 14, 1961; U.S. Pat. No. 3,355,187, granted to M. Brindle on Nov. 28, 1967; U.S. Pat. No. 5,104,133, granted to D. Reiner on Apr. 14, 1992; U.S. Pat. No. 5,529,321, granted to G. Thompson on Jun. 25, 1996; U.S. Pat. No. 5,660,402, granted to E. Jones et al. on Aug. 26, 1997; U.S. Pat. No. 5,943,831, granted to W. Pangburn on Aug. 31, 1999; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,565,101, granted to B. Jones et al. on May 20, 2003.
When a tarp is used to haul materials such as landscaping debris, it is dragged along the ground, and friction and abrasion between the tarp and the surface on which it is dragged can cause rapid deterioration of the tarp. Depending on the material from which it is made, and the manner in which it is used, the tarp can reach the point at which it is no longer useful in a few weeks, or even a few days.
One solution to the problem of deterioration by abrasion is to use a sled-like device instead of a tarp. One such device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,173,351, granted to Philip R. Hetland on Nov. 6, 1979. Another such device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,211,434, granted to Santo M. Lanava on May 18, 1993. Still another sled-like device is described in U.S. patent application publication 2005/0264998, published on Dec. 1, 2005. A difficulty with such a sled-like device is that, if it is large enough to hold several wheelbarrow loads of material, it cannot be stored easily, and cannot be transported easily on a landscaper's vehicle.